PATIENCE and Perspective

Child Life Specialists at Lakeland Regional Health Serve Increasing Need

Lakeland Regional Health Child Life Specialist Devon Fahrenwald may not have known it at the time, but the seed of her career path was planted early.

“I actually had a sibling in the hospital,” says Fahrenwald, who was hired as Lakeland Regional’s second Child Life Specialist in the past few months. “My brother was born with an issue that required multiple surgeries and doctor visits, so I got to see things from a sibling’s perspective. (Being in the hospital) doesn’t just affect the patient, it affects the whole family.”

So when she heard about the role of a Child Life Specialist as a career path, Fahrenwald was immediately interested.

“Because of my experience, I was drawn into it,” she says. “There is a person who can have the biggest impact on the family as it goes through this.”

For Jillian Haley, Lakeland Regional’s veteran Child Life Specialist of seven years, the attraction to the career — and the place — was partly due to the medical center’s recognition of the importance of the work of a Child Life Specialist. With the exception of one year, Lakeland Regional has had a Certified Child Life Specialist on staff since the late 1980s.

“For a community hospital to recognize early on the importance of incorporating a Child Life Specialist into the process was very forwardthinking,” Haley says.

A Child Life Specialist fills a unique role in the process of pediatric care by providing developmentally targeted education and support not just for the child in the hospital, but to siblings and parents alike. Lakeland Regional is the first medical center in the area to have two specialists on staff.